by Lindsay Stefanov
Guest Post
Imagine a crisp winter day. You step outside, and as the cool wind hits your face, it is immediate freshness. If you’re not in a hurry to rush into the car or house, you pause to take it in. Whether you like the cold or not, there is something slower, calmer, and more peaceful about it.
We all have winter seasons in our lives, irrespective of the weather. A spiritual season of dormancy that is necessary for oneness with God. It’s not all go, go, go, with God. Sometimes it’s waiting, listening, and resting. This is hibernation; this is preparation.
King David once tended sheep. Surrounded by the flock, do you think he knew he would be king one day? Did he know what awaited him? At first, the fields were all he knew. The sheep were his lone responsibility. Yet as he was amongst them, he was listening. He was yielding—learning.
Would he have been ready to be king without this time alone with God?
He certainly would not have known the voice of God as strongly as he did, and knowing the voice of God, without doubt, carried David through the most treacherous times of his kingship.
As he tended the fields, he did not plan on running for his life one day. As a sheepherder, he did not know his responsibility would extend over a kingdom. Yet, God knew, and God knew David needed to stay to himself for a while to develop the qualities he most surely would need to carry out his purpose.
David knew and trusted God despite what he faced, and it was natural for him to run to God because of the time he spent in hibernation.
Sometimes we enter a season when God calls us to the side, not to take us off the field but to give us the greatest pep talk of our lives. The thing is, we need to stay sitting down long enough to listen and allow Him to prepare us for what is ahead.
You must take regular time with God to surrender and learn His voice.
Don’t battle the slow winter cold. Breathe it in. Not knowing God’s voice will only end in confusion, but knowing it will foster strength, loyalty, stability, and commitment. He will be your wisdom, comfort, and peace in the seasons ahead.
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You; I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise You.” Psalm 63:1-5
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